Thread by @thomasforth

I think I've done it. I think I've calculated fiscal transfers by Region/Nation/Country/State/City (I'm not taking any chances on the outrage replies) for both the UK and Germany. And I feel like they're probably pretty close to comparable too.

The caveat (but also a strength I think) is that they're for 2010. And a lot has changed since 2010. So if you like what the data shows you can say that it shows exactly what you like. And if you don't like what the data shows you can say it's out of date and irrelevant. 🤣🤣

WITH HUGE CAVEATS THAT IF PEOPLE START SHOUTING AT ME THAT IT'S WRONG THEY'RE PROBABLY RIGHT --- (and also that the data is 2010 and a lot has changed since then).

I know now that I have claimed the Saar for the British (makes a change from the French eh?) with the colour scheme -- I shall correct that immediately.

A peak inside the high-tech graphics setup here at Forth towers.

"Other sources of comparability may remain" is probably pretty important. Doing regional accounts when you've got national roads and railways, national university systems, national health systems (or not), national education systems (or not), etc... is never going to be perfect.

But it feels about right to me. Already by 2010 the weakest regional economies of Germany (in the North East) had overtaken the weakest regional economies of the UK. And thus they required lower fiscal transfers to maintain equivalent living standards. imactivate.com/regionexplorer…

A106 3.2, German constitution says "The financial requirements of the Federation and of the Länder shall be coordinated in such a way as to establish a fair balance, avoid excessive burdens on taxpayers and ensure uniformity of living standards throughout the federal territory".

The UK ensures the same through the Barnett formula (and similar) for the devolved nations and by the provision of universal services (such as the NHS) in England.

That the regional fiscal transfers are larger in the UK is a result of the economy of UK being much more regionally unequal. Germany's economy has been converging (spatially) since 2000, while the UK's has been diverging, increasing the need for transfers. github.com/thomasforth/GD…

I'll do a map when I get time. I was going to explain which states are which with reference to their football teams, but I'm too gobsmacked to learn that Hamburg has no Bundesliga side at the moment to continue.

I don't even want to think about the difference in regional fiscal transfer accounting between building a railway in Germany and building a railway in the UK. Which tier of government owns it, how the spending is accounted for, how the asset is valued,... could all be different.